Ballast-dressing machine for railroads



S. lF. CLAPP BALLAST DRESSING MACHINE FOR RAILROADS March 11', 1 930.

Filed Aug. 30, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Ml AnmmsTRATRax.

March l1, 1930.

BALLAST DRESSING MACHINE FOR RAILROADS s. F. cVLAPP n 1,750,506

Filed Aug'. so, 1927 s sheets-sheet 2 s a n n g S lq 5 i n l w JWVENTORWITNESSES SPCLHPPDEQD, I Q A s czzmsx.

ATTORNEYS Mrch ll, 1930. s. F.' CLAPP 1,750,506

BALLAST DRESSIG MACHINE FOR RAILROADS Filed Aug. 30, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet3 y 4 Ey CLARA CLHPP, ADM/NSTRATRJX.

ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOLON F.CLAPP, DECEASED, LATE OF TEMPLE, TEXAS, BY CLARA CLAPP, ADMINISTRA-TRIX, 0F TEMPLE, TEXAS BALLAST-DRESSING MACHINE FOR RAILROADSApplication led August 30, 1927.

This invention relates to a ballast dressing machine for railroads, andmore particularly to a preliminary ballast leveling and spreadingapparatus.

l/Vhen it is desired to ballast a railroad bed, the ballast is firstdropped upon the railroad bed in piles which must be smoothed out beforea train can pass thereover, and this preferably should be done beforethe ballast dresser is used.

With the above in view it is the purpose of this invention to provide apreliminary ballast spreading and leveling apparatus whereby ballastdropped upon a railroad in piles can be smoothed out or spread in aneven and expeditious manner.

It is a further object of the invention to construct the preliminaryballast leveling or spreading apparatus so that it may be incorporatedwith the ballast dressing machine or apparatus shown in Patent No. 1,470,058.

Other objects and objects relating to details of construction,combination, and arrangement of parts will hereinafter appear in thedetail description to follow.

The invention is illustrated by way of eX- ample in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a View in side elevation showing the formof leveling apparatus incorporated with the ballast dressing apparatusdisclosed in Patent No. 1,470,058.

Figure 2 is a partial vertical longitudinal sectional view takensubstantially on line 2 2 of Figure 3, and showing only the structure ofthe leveling apparatus.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line3 3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially on the line4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view showing a leveling plate and aguide therefor, and

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view of a piston and cylinder structureemployed for lifting the leveling plates.

Referring to the drawings more particularly, 10 indicates generally thebody of a flat railroad car which is supported by trucks 11. The car 10may carry an operators cabin Serial No. 216,480.

dressing the ballast between the rails of a railroad as well as theslopes adjacent the outerV sides of thetrack. As before stated theprelimin ary leveling device of the present invention can be built withthis ballast dressing apparatus without greatly changing the structureof said ballast dressing apparatus.

In carrying out the present invention the vertical braces B employed inthe balla-st dressing apparatus are further utilized. The

vertical brace members B are four in number, each comprising two channelbeams 15 secured upon a plate 17. Angle irons 17 aresecured to thesevertical braces or supports to serve as guides for the leveling plates18,

19 and 20. These plates are free foi` vertical movement. The verticals Bare braced by members 21 each of which may comprise two channel memberssecured upon one another as shown to advantage in Figure 4. The

downward movement of the leveling plate 19 is limited to lugs 22 whichengage the Z- shaped members 23 secured to said plate as shown in Figure4. The plates 18 and 2O each have depending therefrom a member 24 whichis provided with a laterally extending lug 25 adapted to engage beneaththe outer end or terminal of a Z-shaped member 25 carried by the plate19 and raise said plate 19 when the plates 18 and 20 are drawn upwardly.

Each plate 18 and 20 carries a ianged pulley 26 about which there istra-ined a chain or cable 27, said chain extending upwardly and havingits one end connected to a hook 29 carried by a frame member of the car.Each chain 27 has its remaining end secured to a spiral groove drum 30carried by a shaft 31 which is rotatably supported beneath the car frameas shown to advantage in Figure 4.

The shaft 31 also carries a third spiral groove drum 33 which hassecured thereto one end of a chain 34, the other end of said chain beingsecured to connecting rod 35 to piston 36. The piston 36 is movablewithin a cylinder 37. The cylinder 37 has a pipe 38 communicating withthe end thereof adjacent the drum 33 and this pipe is extended to thecabin 12 at which point suitable means may be provided to admitcompressed air or steam for moving piston 36 to end of cylinder 37opposite to that shown in Figure 6. There may also be provided suitablemeans (not shown) for eX- hausting steam or compressed air from'thecylinder 37..

lVhen it is desired to employ the present apparatus for leveling ballastupon a track, the plates 18, 19 and 2O should be permitted to drop totheir lowered position as shown in Figure 1. The plates are ofsutlicient weight that the same will remain in their lowered positionwith the forward movement of the car and will serve to level the pilesof ballast which may be upon the railroad track. It is, of course,assumed that during the lastnamed operation the unit A is in its dottedline position shown in Figure 1.

lVhen it is desired to use the ballast dresser unit A, compressed air orsteam may be admitted through pipe 38 to cylinder 37 which will causepiston 36 to move to the other end of cylinder. This movement of thepiston 36 will cause rotation of shaft 31 which will rotate the drums 30in a direction to raise the plates 18, and 20 and as previouslydescribed the raising of the last named plates will also raise plate 19.The plates 18 and 2O will be sufficiently elevated to allow the guidewheels 40 carried by the ballast dresser unit A to move therebeneath, asshown in Figure 1. This arrangement permits the ballast dresser unit tooperate in its normal manner. is apparent when steam or compressed air1s exhausted from cylinder 37 the plates 18, 19 and 20 will pull thepiston 36 to position shown in Figure 6, and the plates will be inposition for leveling ballast upon the railroad track. It should be herenot-ed that the length of chassis or cables 27 should be such that theywill limit the downward movement of plates 18 and 20 the level shown inFigure 4.

The arrangement of the lugs 25 and 525 earried respectively by the outerplates 18 and 2O and the intermediate plate 19 is designed so that theouter plates will be raised a predetermined distance so that theyoperate to lift the center or intermediate plate which is raised by theraising of the outer plate to a point just above the bottom or lowerenld of the vertical braces B in which plate 19 slides.

Having shown and described the preferred structure, combination, andarrangement of parts of the invention, it is to be understood lthat thesame can be changed by those skilled in the art Without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as indicated by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a railroad car, vertical guide members arranged in aplane transversely of the car, a central ballast leveling plate and twooutside ballast leveling plates vertically and independently movable insaid guides, and means to limit the downward movement of the plates.

2. In combination, a railroad car, vertical guide members arranged in aplane transversely of the car, a central ballast leveling plate and twooutside ballast leveling plates vertically movable independently in saidguides, means to limit the downward movement of the plates, means toraise the two outside plates, and means whereby the raising of theoutside plates will after they reach a predetermined height raise thecentral plate.

3. In combination, a railroad car, vertical guide members arranged in aplane transversely of the car, a central ballast leveling plate and twooutside ballast leveling plates vertically and independently movable insaid guide, means to limit the downward movement of the plates, a shaftrotatable to control the movement of said plates, means whereby withrotation of the shaft in one direction the two outside plates will beraised, and means whereby with the raising of the outside plates thecentral plate will also be raised a predetermined distance.

l. In combination, a railroad car, channel members depending from thecar to provide outer guideways and central guide-Ways, and ballastleveling plates independently movable in said guide-ways.

CLARA CLAPP, Aclmz'nstmtm' of the Estate of Solon F.

Clapp, Deceased.

